Dispensing device to deliver single measured volume



May 19, 1959 J, w. SMITHWICK ET AL 2,837,249

DISPENSING DEVICE TO DELIVER SINGLE MEASURED VOLUME Filed Sept. 24, 19562 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Jack W. Smirhwick Richard Ruffv BY, WW%

ATTORNEY y 1959 J. w. SMITHWICK ET AL 2,887,249

DISPENSING DEVICE TO DELIVER SINGLE MEASURED VOLUME '2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Sept. 24, 1956 i no Ml (06 107 Fig.4

Fig.2

Fig.5

INVENTORS Jo ck W. Smifhwick Richard Ruff ATTORNEY United States PatentDISPENSING DEVICE TO DELIVER SINGLE MEASURED VOLUME Jack W. Smithwickand Richard B. Ruflt, Brady, Tex., assignors to IntercontinentalManufacturing Company, Inc., Garland, Tex., a corporation of TexasApplication September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,646

7 Claims. (Cl. 222-63) This invention relates to dispensing devices andmore particularly to a device for dispensing liquid in predeterminedquantities.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensingdevice for dispensing predetermined quantities of liquid from a sourcewherein the liquid is maintained under pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device, ofthe type described above, wherein the liquid is conveyed from itspressurized source to a tank from which it is dispensed in a measuredquantity by a piston.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improveddispensing device, of the type described above, where the degree ofmovement of the piston within the tank is controlled to predetermine ormeasure the amount of liquid dispensed during each dispensing operationof the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device, of the typedescribed above, wherein the foaming of the liquid, which may be acarbonated beverage, is prevented or minimized by the control of themovement of the piston by a vent valve which maintains uniform themovement of the piston and thus prevents undue agitation of the liquidduring the dispensing operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device, of thetype described above, wherein the interior of the tank between one endthereof and the piston is always full of liquid since the liquid isalways maintained under pressure in the interior of the tank due to theaction of a piston biasing means even when an inlet valve of the tank isin closed position shutting off the interior of the tank from thepressure of the source of liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device, of the typedescribed above, wherein the inlet valve is held open to permit fluidunder pressure to enter into the interior of the tank to displace thepiston downwardly to its lowermost position until the piston reaches itslowermost position.

Still another object is to provide a device, of the type describedabove, wherein the inlet valve is held closed and the outlet valve isheld open until the piston has moved upwardly from its lowermostposition during the dispensing operation to a predetermined higherposition, thus insuring that the full predetermined quantity of liquidis dispensed during such movement of the piston.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device having aplurality of valves controlled by a single driver means to open andclose the valves in predetermined sequence in order that a predeterminedmeasured amount of liquid may be dispensed thereby.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thetype described above wherein a means is provided to jar the pistontowards dispensing movement in order to free the piston should it befrozen in the tank.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thetype described above wherein liquid to be dispensed is introduced underpressure into a measuring chamber having a piston slidably mountedtherein, which liquid under pressure forces the piston to a lowermostposition against the force exerted by a spring during the fillingoperation of the tank and wherein the force of the spring is utilized tomove the piston upwardly to force a predetermined amount of liquid outof a tank to a dispensing point.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure l is a side view of the dispensing device and the associatedcontrol mechanisms, showing the piston in its lowermost position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the various cams shown inthe position prior to the commencement of a dispensing operation;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the tank and valve assembly ofthe dispensing device;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit forcontrolling operation of the valve.

Referring now to the drawing, the liquid dispensing device 10 includes atank 11 having a tubular or cylindrical member 12 which is closed at thebottom end by a bottom cap 13 having a reduced upper portion 14telescoped therein and which provides an upwardly facing annularshoulder 15 which abuts the lower end of the tubular member 12. Thereduced portion 14 of the bottom cap 13 is provided with an externalannular groove or recess in which is disposed an annular sealing member16 which seals between the bottom cap and the tubular member 12 toprevent flow of any fluid therebetween. The upper end of the tubularmember 12 is closed by a top cap 18 having a reduced lower portion 19which telescopes into the upper end of the tubular member 12 and alsoprovides a downwardly facing annular shoulder 20 which abuts the upperend of the tubular portion 12. The reduced portion 19 of the top cap 18is also provided with an external annular recess or groove wherein isdisposed an annular member 21 which seals between the top cap and thetubular portion 12 to prevent flow of fiuid therebetween.

The bottom and top caps 13 and 18, respectively, are held rigidly in thetelescoped positions in the lower and upper ends of the tubular membershown in Figures 1 and 5, by means of a bottom bracket 25 and a topbracket 26 which have horizontal portions 27 and 28, respectively, whichabut the lower and upper surfaces of the bottom and top caps. Four tierods 30 disposed outwardly of the tubular member 12 extend throughregistering apertures in the horizontal portions 27 and 28 of the bottomand top brackets 25 vided with nuts 31 and 32 threaded on the lower andupper ends of the tie rods, respectively, and about the horizontalportions 27 and 28, respectively, to hold the bottom and top capsrigidly telescoped in the lower and upper ends of the tubular member 12.The lower threaded portions of the tie rods 30 extend below the lowerbracket 25 and support, by means of nuts 33, a substan tiallyrectangular bottom bracket 34.

A piston 40 is slidably mounted in the tubular member 12 of the tankassembly 11 between the bottom and top caps 13 and 18 and is providedwith an external annular and 26, respectively, and are pro ass stsrecess in which-is disposed an annular sealing member 41 which sealsbetween the piston and the tubular member to prevent flow of fluidtherebetween. The piston 40 is provided with a piston shaft 42 threadedin a central bore 43 thereof and extending downwardly through a centralvertical bore 44 of the bottom cap and through a bushing 45 disposedtherein. The bushing 45 is pro vided with an external flange 46 receivedin a suitable annular groove of the bottom cap 13. The horizontalportion 27 of the lower bracket 25 abuts the lower surface of the flange46 to hold the bushing in place in the bottom cap 13. The piston shaft42 extends through a suitable aperture 47 in the horizontal portion 27and has its lower end disposed slidably in a sleeve guide 51) of aspring retainer 51.

The spring retainer includes a substantially circular plate 52 restingon the top surface of the bottom bracket 34 to which the upper end ofthe guide sleeve is rigidly secured. The bottom bracket 34 and the plate52 of the spring retainer 51 extends and bridges a central aperture 53of the bottom bracket 34. An aperture 54- is provided in the plate 52which registers with the central aperture 53, so that the actuatinglever 55 of a switch 56 may extend through the apertures 53 and 54 ofthe bottom bracket 34 and the plate 52, respectively, to contact a disk60 disposed on the piston shaft 42 above the bottom bracket and thespring retainer 51. The disk 60 is held against upward movement on theshaft 42 by a collar 61 rigidly secured in any suitable manner, as by aset screw, on the piston shaft 4-2.

A flat helical spring 63 rests on the bottom bracket 34 and is heldagainst lateral movement by the upwardly extending lugs 64- of thespring retainer. The smaller inner end 66 of the spring bears againstthe disk 615 to urge the piston shaft and the piston upwardly. When thepiston is moved to its upper position the helical spring 63 will assumethe position shown in broken lines in Figure 1.

The bottom of the sleeve guide 56 of the spring retainer 51 is providedwith an end plate 79 rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner, asby welding, which engages the bottom 71 of the piston shaft 42 when thespring retainer is moved upwardly by a jack 72 which is pivotallymounted, as at 73, to a dependent arm 74 of the bottom bracket 34. Thejack is provided with an arcuate cam surface 75 which is adapted toslide on the end plate of the spring retainer as the jack 72 is pivotedabout its pivotal axis 73. When the end plate 72 engages the bottom 71of the shaft 42, continued upward movement of the cam surface 75 willcause the piston shaft 42 to be moved slightly upwardly thus causing thepiston 40 to be moved slightly upwardly in the tubular member 12. Theco-action of the jack 72 with the spring retainer 51 serves to jar orfree the piston for upward movement in the event that it is frozen orstuck in the tubular member 12 as may occur if the liquid within thetank 11 is very cold.

The outer end of the jack 72 is pivotally connected to the bottom end ofa push rod 80 having a transverse downwardly open slot 81 in the lowerend thereof in which is received the outer end of the jack. A screw or.

bolt 82 may extend through the lower end of the push rod and through anelongate slot 83 provided in the jack 72. The push rod is biasedupwardly to the position shown in Figure l by a spring 86 disposed aboutthe push rod and above the horizontal portion 27 of the lower bracket25. The push rod extends through a slot of the lower bracket and throughan aperture 88 the upper bracket. The lower end of the spring bearsagainst the lower bracket adjacent the slot thereof and its upper endbears against a disk 39 rigidly secured to the push rod by any suitablemeans, as by a set screw 90.

A normally open switch 92 is mounted on the horizontal portion 27 of thelower bracket 25 by means of 4 a supporting bracket 93 and is providedwith an actuating arm 94 which extends downwardly through a second slot95 of the lower bracket to contact the piston disk 60 when the pistonhas moved to its uppermost position. The actuating arm or lever 94 ofthe switch 92 closes the switch 92 when the piston reaches its uppermostposition in the tubular member 12. The switch 56 mounted on the bottombracket 34 is likewise a normally open switch and is closed when thepiston moves to its lower- 10st position shown in solid lines in Figurel and engages the lever arm 55 of the switch to close the switch.

The top cap 18 is provided with a longitudinal bore in which is slidablydisposed the shank 101 of a valve 122. The longitudinal bore 160 isprovided with a downwardly and outwardly beveled portion 103 which formsa valve seat for the valve 102. The valve 102 is provided with anannular external recess in which is disposed an annular sealing ringwhich seals between the valve seat 193 and the valve. The lower enlargedportion 105 of the longitudinal bore is closed by a plug 106 threadedtherein. The plug 1136 is provided with an external flange 167 receivedin a recess 103 formed by an enlargement of the longitudinal bore 100.An annular sealing means 109 is interposed between the external flange167 of the plug 106 and the downwardly facing annular shoulder 111] ofthe top cap to seal therebetween and prevent flow of fluid between theplug and the top cap.

The shank 101 of the valve 102 is provided with an annular recess inwhich is disposed the annular sealing member 112 which seals between thevalve shank and the top cap to prevent flow of fluid thercbetween. Theupper end of the longitudinal bore 1% may be enlarged as at 113 toreceive a bushing 114 through which the upper end of the valve shank 101may extend. The shank 101 also extends through an oval recess or slot115 in the horizontal portion 28 of the top bracket, 26.

A lateral bore 121 communicates with the enlarged portion 1115 of thelongitudinal bore above the plug 106 and is enlarged and threaded toreceive the threaded portion 121 of an inlet fitting 122 which extendslaterally outwardly through an aperture 123 in the tubular member 12.The fitting 122 is also provided with an external threaded portion 124by means of which a suitable conduit may be secured to the fitting 122through which fluid or liquid under pressure may be admitted to theenlarged portion 105 of the longitudinal bore 169 through the lateralaperture and the longitudinal internal bore 125 of the fitting.

The top cap is also provided with a vertical aperture or bore 136 whichextends parallel to the bore and has a horizontal angular portion 131which opens into the longitudinal bore 1% adjacent the upper end of thevalve seat 1193. It will thus be apparent that when the valve 102 ismoved downwardly to a position wherein it approaches the upper end ofthe plug 106, fluid or liquid may flow through the longitudinal bore 125of the fitting 122 into the lateral aperture 121 and thence through thebeveled portion 1113 of the longitudinal bore 113%) to the horizontalangular extension 131 of the bore 130 and thence through the bore 130into the interior of the tubular member below the top cap 18. it willthus be apparent that a valve 102 is an inlet valve controlling theintroduction of liquid into the interior of the tubular member 12.

An outlet valve 141? is disposed in the cone shaped lower end portion141 of a. longitudinal bore 14-2 of the top cap 13. The valve 141) seatson the upper beveled surface 143 of the bore 142 which thus serves as avalve seat for the valve 14-9. The valve 14% is provided with an annularexternal recess or groove in which is disposed an annular sealing member144 which seals between the valve and the valve seat when the valve isin the upper closed position shown in Figure 5.

The outlet valve is provided with a shank 145 which is slidably disposedin the longitudinal bore 142 and is provided with an external annularrecess in which is disposed an annular sealing member 146 which sealsbetween the top cap and the valve stem. The upper end of thelongitudinal bore 142 may be enlarged as at 147 to receive the bushing148 through which the valve shank 145 slides.

The top cap is provided with a downwardly and outwardly extending outletpassage 150 which communicates with a lateral aperture 151 of thetubular member 12 and with the longitudinal bore 142 above the valve140. It will thus be apparent that when the valve 140 is moveddownwardly liquid may flow from the interior of the tubular member 12,when the liquid is moved upwardly by the upward movement of the piston40, and then laterally and downwardly through the outlet passage 150 andthe lateral aperture 151. A suitable outlet conduit not shown, may betelescoped in the outlet passage 150 to direct the dispensed liquid to acup or any other suitable receptacle.

In order to vent the upper end of the outlet passage 150 an upwardlyextending vent aperture 153 is provided which communicates with theupper portion of the outlet passage 150 and with the lower end of alongitudinal bore 154 of the top cap. The longitudinal bore 154 isprovided with an intermediate threaded portion 155 which receives abushing 156 in which is slidably mounted a valve shank 157 whose lowerend is provided with a valve 158. The lower end of the bushing 156 isbeveled downwardly and outwardly to provide an annular valve seat 160against which the valve 158 mayseat. The valve 158 is provided with asuitable external annular recess in which is disposed a, resilientannular sealing member 161 which seals between the valve seat 160 andthe valve 158. The bushing 156 is provided with a lateral aperture 162which communicates with a lateral aperture 163 of the cap 18. It willnow be seen that when the valve 158 is moved downwardly from the valveseat 160 air will be free to move into the upper end of the outletpassage 150 through the lateral aperture 163 of the top cap, the lateralaperture 162 of the bushing, the longitudinal bore 165 of the bushing,the longitudinal bore 154 of the top cap and the vent aperture 153. Thevalve shanks, 101, 145, and 157 extend through the slot 115 of the upperbracket 26 and are provided with threaded bores in the upper endsthereof in which are received screws 170, 171 and 172, respectively,which serve to retain springs 174, 175 and 176, respectively, which aredisposed about the shanks 101, 145, and 156. The springs [bias thevalves upwardly towards closed positions.

The push rod 80 and the valve shanks 101, 145 and 156 are moveddownwardly against the yielding resistance of their respective springsby means of fingers 177, 178, 179 and 180, respectively, which have flatsubstantially horizontal portions which abut the upper ends of thescrews 170, 171, and 172 and the upper rounded end of the push rod 80and are twisted to provide substantially vertical portions 181, 182, 183and 184, respectively, which are provided with lateral apertures throughwhich extends a rod 185a. The rod 185a extends through aligned lateralapertures in the flanges 185 and 186 of the top bracket 26 and aresecured thereto 'by nuts 187 threaded on opposite ends of the rod 185a.The fingers are held in properly spaced relationship to one another andto the flanges 185 and 186 by means of spacer sleeves 190 which aredisposed on the rod 185 therebetween.

The fingers are pivoted downwardly about the rod 185a by cams 200, 201,202 and 203, respectively, rigidly mounted on a shaft 204 journaled inthe flanges 185 and 186 of the top bracket 26 and rotated by an electricmotor 205 rigidly mounted on the flange 185 by means of its mountingbracket 206. Also, rigidly mounted on the cam shaft 204 is a switch camdisk 207 provided with a pair of depressions 208 and 209 in which isreceived the rounded end 210 of a switch operating lever 211 of theswitch 212. The switch 212 is mounted on the side of the flange 186 bymeans of a suitable bracket 213.

If it is now assumed that the piston 40 is in the lowermost positionshown in broken lines in Figure 1, it is held there by the pressure ofthe fluid to be dispensed, exerted through the longitudinal bore of theinlet fitting, against the resistance of the spring 63. The valve 102 isnow in its lower open position since the portion 220 of the cam 201 isnow in contact with the finger 178 and is holding the finger in itsdepressed position. The outlet valve is now in closed position since theflat or straight surface 221 of the cam 202 is adjacent the finger 179and is actually not engaging the finger 179. The vent valve 158 is nowin open position since the curved surface 222 of the cam 203 is engagingthe finger 180 and holding it in a depressed position. The push rod 80is in its raised position since the flat surface 229 of the cam 200 isnow barely engaging its finger 177. The operating lever 55 of the switch56 is now held in depressed position by the disk 60 and the movablecontact 230 of the switch 56 now engages the stationary contact wherebythe switch is closed. The switch 92 is open with the movable contact 232thereof remote from its stationary contact 233 since the operating lever94 of the switch 92 is now in its lowermost position. The switch 212 isnow open since the operating lever thereof is in the depression 208 ofthe cam 207 whereby its movable contact 234 is remote from itsstationary contact 235.

If the switch 240, which is connected in series with the switch 56, isnow closed, it connects the motor 205 across the source of electricalcurrent 241 through the conductors 242 and 243, the movable contact2411) of the switch 240, the conductor 244, the stationary contact 231and the movable contact 230 of the switch 56, the conductors 245, 246,247 and 248. When the motor is thus energized, the shaft 204 is rotatedin the direction indicated by the arrow 250 in Figure 3. Such rotationof the cam shaft 204 now causes the arcuate surface 251 of the cam 200to engage the finger 177 and move the push rod 80 downwardly whereby thejack 72 is pivoted in a counter clockwise direction, Figure l, and movesthe spring retainer 51 upwardly whereby the piston shaft is movedupwardly to free it should it be frozen in the tubular member 12.Simultaneously, the arcuate surface 220 of the cam 201 now moves pastthe end of the finger 178 and the finger 178 snaps upwardly to contactthe rounded inner surface 252 of the cam 201 thus freeing the inletvalve 201 to move upwardly to closed position, so that no further flowof liquid may take place into the interior of the tubular member 12through the fitting 125. Also, simultaneously, the curved surface 222 ofthe cam 203 is moved out of contact with the finger 180 which permitsthe finger 180 to snap upwardly to contact the rounded surface 253 ofthe cam 203. The vent valve 158 is thus closed and no communication isnow possible between the upper end of the outlet aperture and the ventaperture 163 of the top cap. The rotation of the cam 207 also moves thedepression 208 past the rounded end 210 of the operating lever 211 ofthe switch 212 so that the rounded end now rides on the arcuate surface254 of the cam 267 thus closing the. switch 212 by moving the movablecontact 234 into engagement with the stationary contact 235 thereof.

When the inlet valve 102 and the vent valve 158 are in closed positions,and the switch 212 is closed, further rotation of the cam shaft 204causes the curved surface 255 of the cam 202 to engage the upper surfaceof the finger 179 and depresses the latter to move the outlet valve 144to open position. The piston 40 will now begin to move upwardly underthe influence of the spring 63 which biases it upwardly since thecounter balancing pressure of the fluid which is in the longitudinalbore 125 of the inlet fitting 122 is now shut ofifrom the interior ofthe tubular member 112 by the closing of the inlet valve 102.

The piston 40 will then slowly move upwardly forcing the liquid whichwas trapped in the tubular member 12 between the piston and the top cap18 outwardly through the longitudinal bore 141 and the outlet passage150. The rate of travel of the piston 40 is controlled by a needle valve260 threaded in a lateral bore 261 of the bottom cap which controls theeffective orifice of the bore 262- which communicates with both avertical bore 263 which extends to the top surface of the bottom cap andwith a transverse bore 263 which extends laterally thru the bottom cap13 to the atmosphere. As the piston 40 moves at a slow controlled rateupwardly in the tubular member 12, the cam shaft continues to rotateuntil the rounded end 210 of the operating lever 211 of the switch 212drops into the recess or depression 209 of the cam 207. This causes themovable contact 234 of the switch 212 to move out of engagement with thestationary contact 235 and the motor 204 is now disconnected from itssource of current because as the piston 40 moved upwardly, the disk 60which moves therewith moved out of engagement with the operating lever55 of the switch 56 and thus caused the movable contact 230 of theswitch 56 to move out of engagement with the stationauy contact 231. Theswitch 240 is open since the movable contact 241 of the switch 240 isclosed only momentarily when it is desired to initiate operation of thevending dispensing device. The depression 209 is so disposed that theswitch 212 is opened when the cam 202 has been rotated to such aposition that the curved surface 255 thereof next to the step 265engages the finger 179 and holds it in a depressed position. The outletvalve will thus be held in open position even though the motor 205 isnot energized until the piston 40 has moved to a predetermined upperposition wherein a predetermined amount of liquid has been forced outthrough the longitudinal bore 141 past the outlet valve 140 and throughthe dispensing lateral passage 150 of the top cap at which point thedisk 60 engages the lower end of the operating lever 94 of the switch 92which causes the movable contact 232 thereof to engage the stationarycontact 233. As a result the motor 205 is again connected across thesource of current 24-1 through the conductors 242, 243 and 266, themovable contact 232 of the switch 92, the stationary contact 233thereof, the conductors 246, 247 and 248. The motor again beingenergized continues the rotation of the shaft 204 causing the roundedend 210 of the operating lever 2.11 to ride out of the recess 209 and onthe curved or rounded surface 267 of the cam 207 whereby the switch 212is again closed. The continued rotation of the cam 202 then causes itsrounded surface 255 to move out of engagement with its finger 179causing the free end of the finger 179 to snap upwardly past the step265 to engage the other rounded surface 268 thereof. Such upwardmovement of the finger 179, of course, permits the outlet valve 140 tomove upwardly to its closed position. Simultaneously, the curved surface220 of the cam 201 now moves into engagement with the finger 178 and thecurved surface 222 of the cam 203 moves into contact with its finger 180thus causing the fingers 178 and 130 to be depressed and move the inletvalve 102 and the vent valve 158 to open position. Opening of the ventvalve 15% to open position permits venting of the upper end of theoutlet passage 150 of the top cap thus permitting evacuation of anyliquid trapped in the upper end of the outlet passage 50. Opening of theinlet valve 102, of course, permits liquid under pressure to movethrough the bore 125 of the fitting and through the bores 120, 105, 130and 131 of the top cap into the interior of tubular member 12 wherebythe pressure of such fluid causes the piston 40 to be moved slowlydownwardly, the rate of movement of the piston being determined both bythe pressure of the fluid entering the inlet fitting and the elfectiveorifice of the vent bores 262, 263 and 263a.

As the piston 40 moves downwardly the switch 92 will againopen since thedisk 6tlwil1 move out of engagement with the operating lever 94 thereof.The switch 56 will also be open since the disk 60 is now movingdownwardly towards the operating lever 55 thereof. The cam shaft 204then continues to operate until it reaches the beginning positionillustrated in Figure 3 with the rounded end 210 of the operating lever211 of the switch 12 again disposed in the recess 20% of the cam 207whereby the switch 212 is again opened. The motor 205 cannot again beenergized until the switch 56 is again closed which can occur only whenthe piston has moved to the lowermost position wherein the disk 60engages the operating lever of the switch 56 to close the latter. Atthis stage the closing of the contact 241b of'the switch 240 will againinitiate the above sequence of operation.

The provision. of the fingers between the cams and the pistonshanks ofthe valves 102, and 158 provides for a snap action closing of thesevalves since the fingers snap up when the cams rotate to move the steps265 thereof past the ends of the fingers. The fingers also act as leversto provide a mechanical advantage to the action of the cams since thecams contact the fingers remote from the rod 185a about which thefingers pivot and the upper ends of the valve shanks engage the fingersadjacent the rod 185a.

It will now be seen that a new and improved dispensing device 10 fordispensing predetermined amounts of liquid has been illustrated anddescribed which includes a tank 11 having a piston slidably mounted.therein and biased upwardly by a spring 63. It will also be seen thatthe device includes an inlet passage and an outlet passage and thatliquid may be introduced into the interior of the tank above the pistonthrough the inlet passage and that the pressure of the liquid soadmitted into the interior of the tank forces the piston 40 downwardlyto its lowermost position against the resistance of the spring 63. Itwill also be seen that when the inlet valve 102 is closed and the outletvalve 140 is open the force exerted by the spring is instrumental inmoving the piston upwardly to force the liquid in the tank 11 throughthe outlet passage to a dispensing point. It will also be apparent thatthe outlet passage is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the passage141 and that the upper end of the outlet passage 150 is vented by theopening of the vent valve 158 whenever the outlet valve 140 is closed,whereby the outlet passage 150 is always fully evacuated at the'end ofeach dispensing operation.

It will be seen that the initiation of operation of the dispensingdevice is controlled by the closing of the switch 240, which may be asuitable coin controlled switch, which closes momentarily whenever acoin is inserted in a suitable coin receptacle of a beverage vendingmachine.

It will be further seen that the dispensing operation can commence onlywhen the tank 11 is completely filled with beverage and the piston is inthe lowermost position due to the provision of the switch 56 which isconnected in series with the control switch 240.

It will also be seen that the dispensing operation once commenced, mustbe completed before any other operation can commence due to theprovision of the switch 92 which must be closed by contact with thedisl: 60 when it reaches the predetermined upper position before thefilling operation can be commenced by the closing of the outlet valve140 and the opening of the inlet valve 102.

It will be further seen that the switch cam 207 stops the operation ofthe motor 205 after the outlet valve 102 has been opened and the inletvalve 140 has been closed until the piston 140 has been moved to itslowermost position and the switch56 is closed.

It will furtherbe seen that the switch cam also stops operation of themotor 205 after the outlet valve 140 has been opened and the inlet valve102 has been closed until the piston 40 has moved from its lowermostposition to a predetermined upper position, which is predetermined bythe position of the disk 60 on the piston shaft 42 and the position ofthe lower end of the operating lever of the switch 92.

It will further be seen that the liquid to be dispensed is held underpressure throughout the dispensing cycle of operation since when theinlet valve is in open position the liquid is held under pressure of itssource since the outlet valve 140 is always in closed position when theinlet valve is open and the spring 63 always holds the piston biased forupward movement.

It will further be seen that during the upward movement of the piston 40the liquid is still maintained under pressure since the orifice of theoutlet passage 141 is relatively small as regards the cross sectionalarea of the piston.

It will be further seen that the movement of the piston 40 is uniformand smooth due to the provision of a vent 263 which controls the escapeof the air trapped between the piston 4t) and the bottom cap 13 duringfilling operations of the tank 11 and also controls the upward movementof the piston 40 by controlling the introduction of air behind thepiston 40 into the tank 11 as the piston moves upwardly in the tank.

It will be apparent that various changes in the construction of thedevice can be made without departing from the invention and it isintended, therefore, to cover in the appended claims all such changes ormodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispensing device comprising a tank having closed opposite ends, apiston slidably mounted in the tank and biased towards movement towardsone of said ends of said tank, one of said ends having an inlet passageclosed by an inlet valve whereby liquid under pressure may be introducedinto the interior of said tank to move said piston from said one end andto fill the tank, said one of said ends of said tank being provided withan outlet passage closed by an outlet valve for permitting flow of theliquid from the interior of the tank when the piston moves towards saidone of said ends, means for closing said outlet valve when said inletvalve is open and for closing said inlet valve when said outlet valve isopened, a vent passage in the other of said ends of said tankcommunicating with the interior of said tank and the exterior of thetank, means for adjustably varying the effective orifice of said ventpassage, said one of said ends being provided with a second vent passagecommunicating with the upper end of the outlet passage and theatmosphere, said second vent passage being closed by a vent valve, saidoutlet valve, said inlet valve, and said vent valve having shanksextending outwardly of said one of said ends, cam means disposedadjacent the valve shanks for sequentially moving said valve shanksinwardly to move said valves to open positions during the cycle ofoperation of said dispensing device, biasing means associated with saidvalves for biasing said valves towards closed positions, said cams beingrigidly secured to a rotatable shaft, said shaft being rotated by anelectrically driven means, a switch cam mounted on said rotatable shaftand operatively associated with a first switch for controlling theclosing of said first switch during each rotation of said shaft, saidfirst switch interrupting the energization of said electrically drivenmeans when said shaft has been rotated to a position wherein the outletvalve is closed and said inlet valve is open, a second switch meansresponsive to the position of the piston for energizing saidelectrically driven means when said piston has been moved to one extremeposition wherein the tank is completely filled with the liquid to bedispensed whereby the shaft is caused to be rotated to cause the inletvalve to close and said outlet valve to open, said switch cam causingsaid first switch to open to stop rotation of said shaft when said inletvalve is closed and said outlet valve is open, and a third switchresponsive to the position of 10 the piston for energizing theelectrically driven means when said piston is in a position remote fromits said extreme position whereby the shaft is rotated to close theoutlet valve and open the inlet valve to complete the cycle ofoperation.

2. A dispensing device comprising a tank having closed opposite ends, apiston slidably mounted in the tank and biased towards movement towardsone of said ends of said tank, one of said ends having an inlet passageclosed by an inlet valve whereby liquid under pressure may be introducedinto the interior of said tank to move said piston from said one end andto fill the tank, said one of said ends of said tank being provided withan outlet passage closed by an outlet valve for permitting flow of theliquid from the interior of the tank when the piston moves towards saidone of said ends, means for closing said outlet valve when said inletvalve is open and for closing said inlet valve when said outlet valve isopened, a vent passage in the other of said ends of said tankcommunicating with the interior of said tank and the exterior of thetank, means for adjustably varymg the effective orifice of said vent,said one of said ends being provided with a vent passage communicationwith the upper end of the outlet passage and the atmosphere, said ventpassage being closed by a vent valve, said outlet valve, said inletvalve, and said vent valve having shanks extending outwardly of said oneof said ends, cam means disposed adjacent the valve shanks forsequentially moving said valve shanks inwardly to move said valves toopen positions during the cycle of operation of said dispensing device,biasing means associated with said valves for biasing said valvestowards closed positions, said cams being rigidly secured to a rotatableshaft, said shaft being rotated by an electrically driven means, aswitch cam mounted on said rotatable shaft and operatively associatedwith a first switch for controlling the closing of said first switchduring each rotation of said shaft, said first switch interrupting theenergization of said electrically driven means when said shaft has beenrotated to a position wherein the outlet valve is closed and said inletvalve is open, a second switch means responsive to the position of thepiston for energizing said electrically driven means when said pistonhas been moved to the one extreme position wherein the tank iscompletely filled with the liquid to be dispensed whereby the shaft iscaused to be rotated to cause the inlet valve to close and said outletvalve to open, said switch cam causing said first switch to open to stoprotation of said shaft when said inlet valve is closed and said outletvalve 1s open, a third switch responsive to the position of the pistonfor energizing the electrically driven means when said piston is in aposition remote from its said extreme position whereby the shaft isrotated to close the outlet valve and open the inlet valve to completethe cycle of operation, and a fourth switch connected in series withsaid second switch for initiating the cycle of operation of thedispensing device.

3. A dispensing device comprising a tank having closed opposite ends, anoperative means mounted in the tank and biased towards movement towardsone of said ends of said tank, one of said ends having an inlet passageclosed by an inlet valve whereby liquid under pressure may be introducedinto the interior of said tank to move said operative means from saidone end and to fill the tank, said one of said ends of said tank beingprovided with an outlet passage closed by an outlet valve for permittingflow of the liquid from the interior of the tank when the operativemeans moves towards said one of said ends, and means for closing saidoutlet valve when said inlet valve is open and for closing said inletvalve when said outlet valve is opened, and means operatively associatedwith said operative means and said control means for positively movingthe operative means toward said one of said ends when said inlet valveis initially opened.

4. A liquid dispensing device for dispensing predetermined quantifies ofliquid from a-pressurized source of the liquid comprising: a tank havingclosed opposite ends, one of said ends having an inlet passageconnectable to the pressurized source of the liquid for conveying theliquid into the tank and an outlet passage for conveying liquid from thetank to a dispensing point, ,an inlet valve for closing the inletpassage and an outlet valve for closing the outlet passage, 3 pistonslidably mounted in the tank for movement between the ends of the tank,means for biasing the piston for movement toward said one of said endsand away from the other of said ends, and an operative means forsequentially movingsaid inlet valve to open position while said outletvalve is in closed position to permit liquid to flow through the inletpassage into the tank and move the piston toward the other of said ends,moving the inlet valve to closed position and then moving the outletvalve to open position whereupon the biased piston moves toward said oneof said ends forcing the liquid from the tank through the outlet passageto the dispensing point, said operative means including a rotatableshaft, a plurality of cams mounted on said shaft for sequentially movingsaid valves to open positions, said valves having means biasing saidvalves toward closed posistions, and driver means for rotating saidshaft, and control means for said driver means responsive to theposition of said piston for deenergizing said driver means when saidoutlet valve is closed and said inlet valve is open duringthe tankfilling phase of the cycle of operation of the device until said pistonis moved to an extreme position .and said tank is filled with liquid.

5. .A liquid dispensing device for dispensing predetermined quantitiesof liquid from a pressurized source of the liquid comprising: a tankhaving closed opposite ends, one of said ends having an inlet passageconnectable to the pressurized source of the liquid for conveying theliquid into the tank and an outlet passage for conveying liquid from thetank to a dispensing point, an inlet valve for closing the inlet passageand an outlet valve for closing the outlet passage, a piston slidabiymounted in the tank for movement between the ends of the tank, means forbiasing the piston for movement toward said one of said ends and awayfrom the other of said ends, and an operative means for sequentiallymoving said inlet valve to open position while said outlet valve is inclosed position to permit liquid to flow through the inlet passage intothe ta a and move the piston toward the other of said ends, moving theinlet valve to closed position and then moving the outlet valve to openposition whereupon the biased piston moves toward said one of said endsforcing the liquid from the tank through the outlet passage to thedispensing point, said operative means including a rotatable shaft, aplurality of cams mounted on said shaft for sequentially moving-saidvalves to open positions, said valves having means biasing .said valvestoward closed positions, and driver means for rotating said shaft, andcontrol means for said driver means responsive to the position of saidpiston for tie-energizing said drive means when said outlet valve isopen and said inlet valve is closed during the tank emptying phase ofthe cycle of operation of the device until a predetermined quantity ofliquid is dispensed from the tank by the piston.

6. A liquid dispensing device-for dispensingpredeten mined quantities ofliquid from a pressurized source of the liquid comprising: a tank havingclosed opposite ends, one of said ends having an inlet passageconnectable to the pressurized source of the liquid for conveying theliquid into the tank and an outlet passage for conveying liquid from thetank to a dispensing point, an inlet valve for closing the inlet passageand an outlet valve for closing the outlet passage, a piston slidablymounted in the tank for movement between the ends of the tank, means forbiasing the piston for movement toward said one of said ends and awayfrom the other of said ends, and an operative means for sequentiallymoving said inlet valve to open position while said outlet valve is inclosed position to permit liquid to flow through the inlet passage intothe tank and move the piston toward the other of said ends, moving theinlet valve to closed position and then moving the outlet valve to openposition whereupon the biased piston moves toward said one of said endsforcing the liquid from the tank through the outlet passage to thedispensing point, said operative means including a rotatable shaft, aplurality of cams mounted on said shaft for sequentially moving saidvalves to open positions, said valves having means biasing said valvestoward closed positions, and driver means for retating said shaft, andcontrol means for said driver means responsive to the position of saidpiston for de-energizing said driver means when said outlet valve isclosed and said inlet valve is open during the tank filling phase of thecycle of operation of the device until said piston is moved to anextreme position and said tank is filled with liquid, and control meansfor said driver means responsive to the position of said piston forde-energizing said driver means when said outlet valve is open and saidinlet valve is closed during the tank emptying phase of the cycle ofoperation of the device until a predetermined quantity of liquid isdispensed from the tank by the piston.

7. A liquid dispensing device for dispensing predetermined quantities ofliquid from a pressurized source of the liquid comprising: a tank havingclosed opposite ends, one of said ends having an inlet passageconnectable to the pressurized source of the liquid forconveying theliquid into the tank and an outlet passage for conveying liquid from thetank to a dispensing point, an inlet valve for closing the inlet passageand an outlet valve for closing the outlet passage, a piston slidablymounted in the tank for movement between the ends of the tank, means forbiasing the piston for movement toward said one of said ends and awayfrom the other of said ends, and an operative means for sequentiallymoving said inlet valve to open position while said outlet valve is inclosed position to permit liquid to flow through the inlet passage intothe tank and move the piston toward the other of said ends, moving theinlet valve to closed position and then moving the outlet valve to openposition whereupon the biased piston moves toward said one of said endsforcing the liquid from the tank through the outlet passage to thedispensing point, said operative means including a rotatable shaft, aplurality of cams mounted on said shaft for sequentially moving saidvalves to open positions, said valves having means biasing said valvestoward closed positions, and driver means for rotating said shaft, andmeans operable by said shaft for moving the piston a short distancetoward said one end at the commencement of the tank emptying phase ofthe cycle of operation of the device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

